Gear and Spring

Down from the desk into the deep shadow of the low shelf! Found an abandoned metal tape measure resting flat on a stack of cardboard boxes. Shiny. Heavy. I didn't hesitate—slammed my bladed arm right into the yellow plastic tab! Snap! The thin steel tongue whipped out with a hiss, coiling into the air like a silver snake. I hooked my claw into the teeth of the tape and hauled it sideways until the internal spring groaned with fierce, coiled tension. Then—click! It locked rigid under my weight. Magnificent resistance!